I blog about my jewelry inspirations. Readers will find that various elements of nature are my inspirations. Of course, I include jewelry making tips. This blog also includes some of my favorite Etsy shops, bead shops and jewelry customers.

Saturday, August 31, 2013

These fun and colorful polka dot earrings are made with polka dot
lampwork beads combined with blue swarovski crystal beads and long
silver plated earwires. The are long earrings that hang about 2.25
inches.

The lampwork beads are one of a kind. They are by Work of Our Hands Namibia whose mission is to provide hope and dignity for the
unemployed through the creation of cottage industries which produce
handcrafted items.

Queen Anne's Lace is an import from Europe

The polka dot earrings are a result of a camping trip to Rocky Gap State Park in Maryland's Western Allegany County. I was surrounded by lush greens everywhere.

Here at the beach in Lewes, we always have lots of visitors in the summer. Traditionally, Labor Day marks the end of the summer season at the beach. The locals always love to see the tourists leave.

Kalmar Nyckel in Lewes, Delaware

The Kalmar Nyckel is here in Lewes through Labor Day. Locals and tourists love seeing this replica of one of America's pioneering colonial ships, a Mayflower of the Delaware Valley.

The original Kalmar Nyckel
served as Governor Peter Minuit’s flagship for the 1638 expedition that
founded the colony of New Sweden, establishing the first permanent
European settlement
in the Delaware Valley, Fort Christina in present-day Wilmington,
Delaware. She would make a total of four roundtrip crossings of the
Atlantic, more than any other documented ship of the American colonial era.

The original ship was
built by the Dutch in Amsterdam in about the year 1625. She was
purchased in 1629 to serve as an auxiliary
warship for the Swedish navy, which she did until her decommissioning in
1651 — except for the years from 1637 to
1644 when she sailed the Atlantic for the New Sweden Company. This ship had a long and remarkable career. She was sold to a private merchant after being decommissioned from the
navy. No definitive records have been uncovered as of yet,
but Kalmar Nyckel was probably resold to the Dutch navy as an
escort vessel and sunk in the North Sea while fighting in a war against
the English in 1652.

Lots of Sailing will take place in Lewes over Labor Day Weekend

With Lewes being on the water, lots of folks will be sailing or boating all weekend.

I made these seahorse earrings to celebrate the end of summer in Lewes. These are my final pair of summer earrings that I will be making through the holiday season. To celebrate Labor Day Weekend I am offering 15% of all sales over $15. Just use coupon code AWE15 when you checkout at my etsy store through Sept. 3.

After Labor Day weekend I will be going out West so, please stop back to my blog to follow my adventures on this trip.

I think it is only fitting that Moriah Betterly of Blu Mudd honors the butterfly in her gorgeous bracelet bar. The participants ofBlu Mudd Challenge Round 3 all got the same butterfly bracelet bar, but with different glazes.

My bracelet bar has a pale blue glaze with a hint of yellow. This butterfly bracelet is made to have the handmade ceramic cuff sits on top of
the wrist. My bracelet has pale blue pearls, teal freshwater pearls,
and mauve pink jasper. I used golden bronze wire and gold beads to add
sparkle and bring out the yellow that is in the ceramic glaze. The blue
glaze is the same color as the pale blue freshwater pearls.

Blue Butterfly

The blue ceramic reminds me on a blue butterfly that I was lucky to spot it at Bahia Honda State Park, Florida this past winter. This is a very small butterfly that is native to coastal areas of southern Florida. Once very common throughout its range, it has become critically endangered, and may be the rarest insect in the United States.

Butterfly at Shenadoah National Park, Virgina

There are many cultural myths and lore that surround the butterfly.
Basically they honor the butterfly as a symbol of transformation
because of its impressive process of metamorphosis.

Thank you Moriah for your lovely creation featuring one of nature's beauties. Please visit the entries and see the variety of designs. You can vote for your favorite up until Sept. 17.

To celebrate Labor Day Weekend I am offering 15% of all sales over $15. Just use coupon code AWE15 when you checkout at my etsy store through Sept. 3.

Friday, August 23, 2013

I am thrilled to have participated in Lisa Lodge's Color Challenge. I couldn't have picked prettier beads if I had done it myself. Lisa sent me lots of gorgeous beads in all shades of purple which is one of my favorite colors to design with.

My first necklace features a lavender and white rectangular focal by the ceramic artist Blueberribeads. I designed a 3 strand necklace which includes faux pearls, swarovski crystals, and seed beads. The necklace has a variety of lavender colors, grays, whites. An antique pewter seahorse clasp completes the necklace.

Two beads from the stash were perfect for the polymer clay lotus beads that I had. These are perfect lotus flower earrings for someone who loves the lotus flower, yoga, or
the color purple. The lavender lotus is suspended from a lovely purple
bead and gold earwires. The gold earwires bring out the gold color that
outlines the lotus.

I saved the beautiful focal from Sharyl's Jewelry for last. I love using her components in my jewelry.
This focal is 1 inches high x 3/4 inches across. This brass focal
has been cut, sanded, and embossed. The design reminds me of a bird in flight. Patina colors and glaze
were blended to create this lilac shade. I suspended Sharyl's focal from purple
artisan lampwork. The purple lampwork is surrounded by 2 lovely pieces
of citrine. There are lots of gold and purple beads along with deep
purple crystal. A silk fairy ribbon and simple gold metal clasp are
added to provide closure.

Would you believe I still have lots of beads left! Some are going into earrings to match the necklaces.

Saturday, August 17, 2013

These are long yellow earrings. I
paired them with enameled copper disks by Catalina Glass to create
floral earrings. You can see orange floral murrini on the yellow. I
added some yellow swarovski crystals and gold metal to add some sparkle.

The
round orange and yellow ceramics are by Work of Our Hands Namibia whose
mission is to provide hope and dignity for the unemployed through the
creation of cottage industries which produce handcrafted items.

(Photo by Jason Pratt, Wikimedia Commons)

The colors of the earrings remind me of sunflowers. Sunflowers are known around the world as one of the most joyous and flamboyant flowers. These flowers are symbolic of adoration. Sunflowers turn their heads to the sun, which is the origin of their common name. I know the rabbits in my garden adore sunflowers. Every year we try to grow them and the rabbits eat them. This year we put fences around them and the rabbits pushed over all but two of the fences and ate the sunflowers to the ground. Next year we will stake the fences and hopefully beat those rabbits at their game!

Fall 2012 Leaves in Shenandoah National Park

Believe it or not, these cool August mornings brought back memories of a camping trip to Shenandoah National Park last fall. This trip is the inspiration for my next pair of earrings. My husband and I were there when the leaves were changing and I took lots of photos that I revisited this week.

View from Skyline Drive Fall 2012

Shenandoah National Park has cascading waterfalls, spectacular vistas, quiet wooded hollows. While there we hiked, drove along Skyline Drive, cooked by the bonfire . The park has 200,000 acres of protected lands. We camped for a week and saw the leaves change on a daily basis. When we left lots of leaves were on the ground.

These rust earrings are made with handmade polymer clay by Bay Moon Design and look like some of those
fall leaves. I paired the leaves with antique copper floral beads and
earwires. The polymer clay leaves are a copper and rust
color that remind me of the fall color of leaves. I paired the leaves with antique copper floral beads and
earwires.

I am wondering what the fall colors will be like this year. How will all of the rain we have had this summer effect the fall colors? What are your thoughts?

Friday, August 9, 2013

This month's Art Bead Challenge is Tres Personajes painted by the Mexican Modernist Rufino Tamayo. It is regarded as a masterpiece of the artist's
mature period, the synthesis and culmination of a career and a
celebration of his approach to universalism in art via color,
abstraction and texture. As soon as I saw it I knew that a beautiful glass bobbin byLea Avroch of LA Jewelry Designs would be the perfect focal for a necklace that is inspired by this painting.

I had on hand some lush gray leather from Nina Designs so I was set. I had the colors, abstract quality, and texture of the painting. Coming up with the design was the hard part. Before Lea Avroch had a flash sale on facebook in July, I had never even see or heard of a glass bobbin. It is a sewing bobbin that Lea worked her magic on. When I saw it, I knew that I had to have it. I just love the idea of making something so pretty from a bobbin. I am so glad that the August Art Bead Scene Challenge pushed me to use Lea's bobbin so quickly. It is a unique necklace to add to my etsy store which I am stocking for the holiday season.

Saturday, August 3, 2013

I started doing yoga several years ago at the Sussex Family YMCA in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. I had a membership there already so I decided it would be a good place to enroll in a yoga class. I have had a number of different, and all excellent yoga instructors, but Iris has been my instructor the longest. Iris is close to my age so it gives me hope that someday I will be able to do most everything she can. Also, most of the folks in the class are close to my age-old. It is a level 2 sometimes, level 3 class. I can do many more posses now than when I started. Progress is slow, but steady. I have added some yoga jewelry section to my Etsy store because I love yoga and I know others who do. It also gives me an opportunity to research more about some of the symbols in yoga like the lotus flower.

I love the lotus flower because it is
one of the most
delicate and beautiful flowers. Although lotus grows in muddy water, it
grows beautiful and brings a smile on anyone's face who sees it. The
lotus has long been associated with purity, rebirth and beauty. The
purple lotus is the mystic lotus.

I created these lotus earrings for the AJE Earring Challenge. I was drawn to the lotus components because I love yoga and purple. These are perfect lotus flower earrings for someone with those loves! The lavender
lotus is suspended from a lovely purple bead and gold earwires. The
gold earwires bring out the gold color that outlines the lotus. This
lotus is hand painted polymer clay by Jewelry by Jeannie.

These earrings are inspired by nature. They combine polymer clay beads that look like little white
and green birch branches. They remind me of a walk in the woods. These little branch beads are by polymer
clay artist Humblebeads. I love all of her intricate detailing on the
beads. I combined tranparent green and white swirl table cut
czech glass beads. This green is a dark shade and the rock like picasso
finish on them is amazing and unique. Gold earwires and a
gold bead at the bottom are used for a uniform look. The earrings are 2
inches from the top of the ear wire to the bottom bead.

These earrings are inspired by nature. They remind me of a walk in the woods.